Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 1 works by Nikolay Koshelev in our catalogue
In short
Of all the originals Nikolay Koshelev left, the most famous is Self-Portrait (1865), in the collection of the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Our catalog holds 1 works by Nikolay Koshelev; the gallery has kept the 1 the world admires most, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
The oil painting titled Self-Portrait by Nikolay Koshelev presents a single male figure. This work emerged from Russia in 1865. The artist captures his own likeness, fixing a gaze that meets the viewer through the stillness of the canvas. It is a quiet confrontation between the painter and the painted.
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Nikolay Koshelev | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hermitage Museum |
Saint Petersburg | 1 | Self-Portrait |
1865 is the year of every dated Nikolay Koshelev work in this selection: here they are, ranked by fame.
Pick a year to see its originals.
The oil painting titled Self-Portrait by Nikolay Koshelev presents a single male figure. This work emerged from Russia in 1865. The artist captures his own likeness, fixing a gaze that meets the viewer through the stillness of the canvas. It is a quiet confrontation between the painter and the painted.
Self-Portrait (1865).
25 years old: Self-Portrait dates from 1865, and Nikolay Koshelev was born in 1840.
Our catalog holds 1 works by Nikolay Koshelev.
Mostly in Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg). The museum table above lists them all.
Born to a peasant family of serfs, Nikolay Koshelev began his artistic path in the city of Arzamas. His early years were marked by a self-taught determination; after an unsuccessful apprenticeship to a decorative painter in Nizhni-Novgorod, he taught himself to paint while in the service of a local landowner. His talent eventually led him to the art school in Kazan, where he studied under an expatriate Italian artist named Botelli. This period of development, which included independent work on a monastery wall and an iconostasis, paved the way for his acceptance at the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1860.
As his career progressed, Koshelev became a versatile figure in the Russian art world, specializing in portraits, genre scenes, and icon painting. He was a member of the Artel of Artists and worked alongside Ivan Kramskoi. His technical skill was recognized through various honors, including a gold medal in 1864 and being named an "Academician" in 1873, followed by the title of Professor in 1878. His monumental contributions included painting the main dome at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and creating sketches for the mosaics and murals in the Church of the Savior on Blood.
Koshelev's reach extended far beyond Russia. He traveled to Rome in 1880 and later undertook an extended trip to create icons for the new Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Buenos Aires. His professional life was also defined by his involvement in institutional art history; he was one of the founders of the Nizhni-Novgorod Art and Historical Museum and served as an "Inspector" at the Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry. His work can be found in several significant collections, including:
His mural work also left a lasting mark on religious architecture, with frescoes from a cathedral in Warsaw being moved to the Intercession Cathedral in Baranavichy, Belarus.
